Improvement in abding-machine



att-1d (titille.

EDWARD AUGUSTUS SWAIN, OF NEW'YORK, N. Y.

Letters Patent N 98,720, dated January 1], ISTO.

IMPROVEMENT IN ADDING-MACHINE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patentf-md makingV part of the sama.

I, Enwann AUGUSTUS SWAN, ofthe city, county, and State of New York, have invented an Improved Adding-Machine, and do hereby describe the same.

Nature and Oly'ects of the I mention.

The subject of my invention isan apparatus for use in adding up columns of figures in ledgers, &c., to enable said operation to be performed with greater rapidity and accuracy. It is ot' that class or description of such devices in which a series of parallel disks or wheels, suitably connected, and enclosedin a. suitable case, constitutes the counting and registeringmechanism.

lhe improvement consists in a novel construction of carryiiig-mechanism', for connecting the disks.

` Description o f Drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, made a part of this specification Figure l is a front elevation, partly in vertical section, of an adding-machine embodying my improvements;

Figure 2, a vertical transverse section on the line z z, fig. l

Figure 3, a vertical transverse section on the liney y, fig. 1; and

Figure 4, a diagram illustrating the construction of the disks.

General Description.

The case A of my improved machine is in the form of a horizontal cylinder, and is provided with a ange or base, B, for its support.

It may or may not have a removable end, a, or its equivalent, to giveaccess to the works.

A shaft, C, held in the end of the case by square ends c, or their equivalent, supports the disks 1), which are mounted loosely `thereon, at proper distance apart, and held from lateral displacement by collars c', or their equivalent. y

The disks D are constructed with peripheries sufficiently broad to receive, in parallel circumferential series, the ilulicating-tigures d and holes or indentat-ions d', by which to rot-ate them, with which they are thus provided, as represented.

'lhe circumference being suitably spaced, six, or more series' (of l to 0) of indicating-figures may be employed on each disk.

An engaging-hole or indentation is employed for each figure, being arranged in line laterally with it.

'lhe case A is provided correspondingly with the several disks, in convenient position in its circumference, and opposite or over the series of engagingholes or indentations d. in the disks, with slots a', ten or more (preferably eleven) spaces in length, through which to operate thedisk; and, at proper relative distance from the lower ends of said slots, with a' longitudinal slot, a", a single space in width, or a. corresponding provision for the exposure ofthe indicating-figures al, to enable the amount to be read.

The slots a', for the exposure of the engaging-holes or indentations in the disks, being eleven spaces long,4 and provided, at their upper extremity, with offsets af, for the exposure of the ignres d 4at this. point, or

the holes or indentatious d', paralled with the ciphers', so marked. as to ohviate the necessity for this latter provision, this preferable point isvutilized for setting the disks by. l

lhe'lower extremities of' said slot-s are at such'relative distance from 'the sum-opening-a", as that corresponding guresto those presented there occur here.

Said slots and openingr are, preferably, so disposed as to bring the latter within the base, as represented, in order to conceal the amount until the computation is completed. v

A. scale or series offigures, am', (running from 0 'co4 9,) bordering each of `thc slots a', and spaced 'correspondingly with the figures and engaging-holes or indentations in the disks, serves to indicate the height of the exposed holes or indentations from the lower end of the slots. 1

lFor carrying the respective disks, exceptthe last, they are provided,on their left sides, with projecting pins or tappets d, corresponding with the ciphers on their peripheries, and in line therewith, (as indicated in iig. 4,) being arrangedv in a concentric annular series,la'nd the respective ones, except the rst, on their right-hand sides, with concentric ratchet-wheels d', having teeth corresponding in number with the spaces on their pcripheries, anda-lever, E, adapted to engage with said tappets and ratchet-wheels, is pivoted trans'- versely of the disk supporting shaft O between each two of the disks.

Said parts are sjo constructed. and proportioned as that at each impulse of a lever, by the passage of a tappet on a disk to the right, a movement of one space shall be imparted to the disk to the left.

The levers being prop'erl y arranged, relatively to the registering-slot, the tens are thus accurately carried.

'lhe normal position of the carrying-levers E is determined by means of stops f, and they are returned thereto by means of suitablyapplied springs g.

Their construction is variable. They may be supported from longitudinal displacement by shoulders 'lheir.arms e', for engagement with the lat-chetsum will finally appear.

the base B of' the case is constructed with a'project-v ing straight front edge, l, to serve as a guide.

My improved carrying-mechanism combines compactncss with superior eflicieney, and adapts a larger number of' peiiods of' registering figures on therespective disks to be employed, thus increasing the capacity of y a machine of a given number of disks, and facilitating their movement by shortening the path required to he traversed by the propelliiig-instrument.

Operation.

The operation of' the machine is as follows:

The disks D are all at first set at 0, which may be most readily done by observing the openings af", provided in. the case for this purpose, and turning the disks until ciphers in their sexies of figures d appear in them, when ciphcrs will also be at the lower extremities of' the engaging-slots a and in the registering-opening a and the tappcts d", on the disks next Athe engaging-arms e of' the carrying-levers'E, be nine spaces removed therefrom.

Any number of figures, within the capacity of the machine, may now be counted, by simply turning the disks corresponding with the colnmnin which the respective figures occur, a corresponding number 'of spaces, when the amount will appear in the registering-slot a", the tens counted by eachdislf having been carried by thel mechanism d" E, connecting the disks.

To enable a. proper operation of' the. disks, the engaging-slots a and their marginal scales um', in conjunction with the engaging-holes or indentations d', iu the peripheries of the disks, are provided.

Corresponding ones of the registering-figures d, on the periphen'es of the disks,A being at the bottoms of the engaging-slots a and in the registering-slot a, it

Y will be apparent that by turninga disk until the figure to be counted is there, a similar figure will also a-pn pear in the registeringslot, and that by cont-inningr to 'turn it a number of spaces corresponding with the figures to be added, the tens being carried to the next disk,.and by it in 'similar manner registered, the

The scales a facilitate engagement with the disks at the proper points.

The disks are propelled by a suitable pointed instrument, one of which may accompany each machine. The holes or indentations el' in the peripheries of thc disks are engaged by this, and by its' movement until arrest-ed by the bottom of the engaging-slot, the figure represented by the hole engaged with is counted. The machine being set on the book or paper on which the figures are, across the columns, and successively moved down to the line beingadded, the place is thus kept.

As illustrating the process ot counting, supposing the first two lines of a ledger-account to be 2,791.50 and 91.18. r1`he disks being at 0, commencing at the rightliand figure of' the upper line, 0 is found, at which the corresponding disk already stands. Taking the next, (5,) the engaging-hole d, in the second disk opposite 5, in the scale a"on the case, is engaged with, by means of' the propelliiig-instrument, and the l disk thereby turned, until arrested bythe instrument `coming in contact with the bottcml of' the 4slotc, thropgh which, introduced when the instrument is withdrawn, a figure, 5, in the registering-figures d, on

said second disk, having been brought into the registeiing-slot af. The third, lfourth, fifth, and sixth disks are now engaged with at 1,'9, 7, and 2, respectively, when the registering-slot will show 279150.

Taking now the sc'condline, the first four disks, by engagement, respectively, at the holes in the line, with 8, 1, 1, and 9, are turned until the propelling-instrunientis stopped, as before, when in the registering-slot-i will be found the snm ofthe two lines,- viz, 288268; of' the 18 added by the fourth disk, the ten having been carried tu the fifth, by the enga-gement of' one of the tappets d'5', on the side of' the former, with-the adjoining arm e of `the carryinglever E,'on the second 0, occurring in that number of spaces, coming opposite the registering-slot.

It is proposed, by modification, to adapt the machine f'or counting sterling. f

. Ola/im.

' I claim, as my inventiondescribed, of' the tappets d", ratchet-wheels d', and carrying-levels E, constructed and arranged to operate as set fort-h.

To the above specification of my adding-machine, I have signed my hand, this 3d day of' August, A. D.

' EDWARD AUGUSTUS SVAIN.

Witnesses: I I I JOHN GRINNELL, W. B. DEMING. 

